Xeon

Any budget friendly ecu tuning options for a stock s2000 with minnor bolt ons 2002 ap1

maxLikelihood

i would like to know this as well. i was literally searching around for this answer. based on my limited research, there's the cheaper vafc route if you want to lower vtec and the more expensive standalone route if you want a full tune. i want to smooth out the power delivery and have more mid end power for the streets myself.

S_DosMil

Your options are a piggyback or full standalone. Piggy back you have stuff like the greddy emanage and vafc. Full standalone options vary from 500 used to over 1500 new depend on brand and other items needed. So to answer your question no there isn't anything budget friendly about trying to tune an ap1. Except maybe vafc if you know what YOU are doing. If not everything else will need dyno time to get it right or an e-tune but who knows how long that will take.

Chuck S

Tuning cost includes hardware -- a tuneable ECU and perhaps sensors --, software, and the skill to do it. Several hours on a dyno can be very expensive and may still result in only minor power gains for an aging non supercharged car. Lowering VTEC is more than just dialing in a rpm.

-- Chuck

Kerry C.

Www.karcepts.com

Brian will fix you up.

Chuck S

Check out this member parts sale.

Looks like everything but the dyno tune.

A $200 VAFC only allows minor adjustments compared to a full replacement ECU but may be a good starting point.

-- Chuck

Slowcrash_101

After using a EMS Infinity, I can't suggest anything else. It's the only aftermarket ECU that can behave exactly like OEM, particularly idling and start up. It's close to $1,700 for the ecu and the special cable and more if you want to get a wide band and A/F gauge, but that's the easiest ECU I've ever tuned. You won't get much out of it from a nearly stock car, maybe pick up some mid range and a few horses in the top end. You'd have to go full bolt ons to start taking advantage of it, as it's a very flexible ecu you can run it in any engine you choose, or if you go forced induction. The data logging features are pretty neat too. Maybe you can have a lot of success with a flash-pro on 06+ cars, even then I'd still consider an EMS Inf just for the convenience.

Anyway sorry for the rant, but yeah, pretty much what previous posters stated. Greddy E-manage, or VFAC. You'd also have to get an adjustable FPR to force a little more fuel into the rail, then use the piggy back to trim the fuel as it's all that they can do.

Chuck S

Lurkers considering buying an S2000 should keep in mind the expense and hassles involved in "tuning" the pre-2006 drive-by-wire (DBW) cars. The DBW cars just need the Hondata FlashPro and a Gernby road tune to achieve impressive mid-range power increases (VTEC cam at 3600rpm) with minimal intake and exhaust bolt-ons. Mine is 221bhp at the rear wheels in this configuration. This power is certainly achievable with earlier cars but, as this thread and others continually point out, there's more involved to include a dyno tune which is a major expense in both time and money. Note the FlashPro + Gernby tune still doesn't fall into the "budget" category assuming "budget" is code for cheap!

Peak horse power is just "mine is bigger than yours." No one runs at 7500 rpm all day long! Mid-range power (power under the graph curve) is more useful.

Significant power gains are only possible with forced induction and these take dyno tuning as well unless you know a good road tuner.

-- Chuck